Local Moreland residents show how it’s possible to go Zero Carbon

Watch an interview with Emma
Look at the changes Emma has been making in her home

Local Coburg residents Emma, Bruce, Yas and Annie, bought their Coburg house two and a half years ago and since then have reduced their carbon emissions, cut their electricity, gas and water costs and made their home more comfortable too.

The first thing Emma and Bruce did was switch their electricity over to GreenPower. Next they changed all the light globes to energy efficient ones, put in a water saving showerhead and installed ceiling insulation to an R-value of 3.5 they immediately went from three doonas to two on a cold winter’s night.

To reduce the need for greenhouse intensive, costly heating during winter, Emma used about 40 tubs of sealant along with weather stripping to seal up all the cracks and gaps in the house, installed a Draft Stoppa to cover their exhaust fans, and made thick curtains and blinds for all their windows. They also insulated under their floorboards with reflective concertina foil.

Come summer, the house started heating up and Emma and Bruce installed ceiling fans instead of air-conditioning and put up external blinds on their west facing windows. They also fitted shade sails over a new pergola and planted trees and vines to help shade the house. The house was now warm in winter and cool in summer without increasing their energy use.

By using energy-efficient appliances and turning appliances off at the power point they have managed to get their electricity use down to only 3 kilowatt-hours a day (The average home uses about 20kwh a day) and this is on 100% GreenPower.

Towards the end of their second year the household installed a solar hot water system and noticed an immediate drop (about 50%) in their gas bill.

The household is also reducing their emissions from transport by using their car as little as possible. Bruce rides an electric bike to work and Emma and baby Annie use public transport and their bike and bike trailer to get around!

What’s next?
Over the next few years Emma and Bruce hope to reduce their energy bills even further and make their home even more comfortable. Plans include:

• Continuing to insulate walls as they do further renovations to the house.
• Upgrading appliances to more energy efficient models.
• Growing more vines over the pergola for shading in summer.
• Installing a photo voltaic (solar power) system. Soon Bruce and Emma hope to be actually putting electricity back into the grid!